Friction-clutch.



No. 742,524. PATENTED 001*. 27, 1903. 0. E. TORRANOE.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented October 27, 1903.

PATENT FFICE.

FRICTION-CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,524, dated October 27, 1903,

' Application filed September 12, 1902. Serial No. 123,045. (no: model T 00% whom it nuty concern:

Be itknown that I, CHARLES E. TORRANCE,

of Northampton, in the county of Hampshire fication.

, face.

This invention has forits object to provide a simple, durable, and effective frictionclutch; and it consists in the severalimprovements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partially in section, of a clutch embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the friction-shoe separated from the internal friction-face. Fig. 4 represents asection on line 4 4 of Fig. l. Figs. 5 and 6 represent side views of one of the strut-operating slides.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

The outer member of the clutch hereinafter described is of annular form and has an internal circular friction-face a, which is concentric with the axis of the shaft 0, with which the clutch is used. In the embodiment of the invention here shown the internal friction-face a is the inner surface of a hollow casing which formsthe central part of a loose pulley, having arms or spokes o connecting the hub with a suitable rim. (Not shown.) The said casing includes side pieces a o having hub portions 01. a, journaled on a cylindrical holder d, which constitutes a part of the inner member of the clutch.

The inner member of the clutch includes the holder (1, above referred to, said holder being rigidly affixed to the shaft-section c. Said inner member includes in addition to the holder d a series of levers e, preferably two in number, said levers being fulcrumed at e to ears (1', formed on the holder d, the fulcrum 6' being at what I term the inner end of the lever. On each lever is mounted a friction-shoe e which has a curved outer friction-face conforming to the curvature of the internal friction-face a and adapted to be pressed by the lever against said internal Each shoe has an adjustable or rocking connection with the lever supporting it, the connection being such that the shoe can swing or move on the lever sufficiently to cause its entire outer face to bear uniformly on the internal friction-face a. The preferred connection between the shoe and lever is a pivot 6 located at about the center of the length of the shoe and between the fulcrum and the outer end of the lever and permitting the shoe to rock lengthwise. The lever is provided with a stop projection e arranged to limit the inward movement of the inner end of the shoe, and with a spring a arranged to press the outer end of the shoe yieldingly outward, thus causing its inner end to bear normally against said stop, as shown in Fig. 3. The arrangement is such that when the lever e is moved inwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, from the position it occupies when pressing the shoe against the internal face a, as shown in Fig. l, the stop 6 and spring 6 will causethe outer face of the shoe to stand substantially parallel with the internal face a and insure its occupying a retracted position without touching the said face a. lever is moved outwardly, the spring-pressed outer end of the shoe-comes in contact :with the internal face a and causes the inner end of the shoe to swing outwardly from the step 6 until the entire outer face of the shoe contacts with the said internal face. Provision is thus made for a uniform pressure of all parts of the outer surface of the shoe on the internalfriction-face and for a complete clearance of the entire shoe from the internal frictionface, so that neither end of the shoe will make contact with said friction-face when the shoe is in its retracted position.

The preferred means for forcing the lever e outwardly to engage theshoe c with the internal face a comprise a rod or slide 2', movable in a guide in the holder d and having an inclined face t", and a strut j, interposed between the face t" and an adjustable bearing-screw j in the outer end portion of the lever e, the strut passing through a lateral guide in the holder. Two slides 'i are shown in this case, one for each lever e, said slides being at opposite sides of the shaft 0. When the slides are moved in one direction, the faces 4; force the struts outwardly and cause the latter to force the levers and shoes out- When the wardly. When the slidesare moved in the opposite direction, the struts are allowed to move inwardly and release the outward pressure on the levers, the latter being thereupon moved inwardly by springs k, interposed between the holder (1 and arms or extensions 6, formed on the inner ends of the levers e. The slides t 'i may be operated by any suitable means, such as a collar m, mounted loosely on the shaft 0 and secured to the outer ends of the slides, and a forked lever n, pivoted at o to a fixed support and having studs on its bifurcations engaged with a peripheral groove in the collar. The clutch herein described and claimed is distinguished from that shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 691,221, dated January 14, 1902, chiefly by the friction-shoes e adjustably mounted on the levers e, said shoes being substituted for the friction-faces shown in said patent as rigidly connected with or forming integral parts of said levers. The adj ustablymounted shoes enable the friction-faces of the inner clutch member to bear more uniformly on the internal friction-face of the outer member and involves less wear of the contacting parts than the friction faces formed integral with the levers, as shown in said patent. v

I claim 1. A clutch'comprising first an outer member having an internal friction-face, secondly an inner member including a holder, a lever fulcrumed at its inner end on said holder, and a friction-shoe formed as a separate part having a rocking connection with said lever, said shoe being free to automatically conform to the internal friction-face, thirdly, means for exerting positive outward pressure on the lever to engage said shoe positively with the said internal friction-face, and yielding means for preventing contact of either end of the shoe with said internal friction-face when said shoe is in retracted position.

2. A clutch comprising first an outer member having an internal friction-face, secondly an inner member including a holder, a lever fulcrumed at its inner end on said holder, and a friction-shoe having a rocking connection with said lever, whereby the shoe is adapted to conform to the internal friction-face, the lever having a stop for one end portion of the shoe, and a spring adapted to exert an outward yielding pressure on the opposite end portion of the shoe, and thirdly, means for exerting outward pressure on the lever to engage said shoe with the said internal friction-face.

3. A clutch comprising first an outer member having an internal friction-face, secondly an inner member including a holder, a lever fulcrumed at its inner end on said holder, and a friction-shoe having a rocking connection with said lever, whereby the shoe is adapted to conform to the internal frictionface, thirdly, means for exerting outward pressure on the lever to engage said shoe with the said internal friction-face, and fourthly, means for exerting inward pressure on the lever to separate the shoe from the internal friction-face, said means including an arm formed on the lever and extending rearwardly from the fulcrum thereof, and a spring interposed between said arm and the holder.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. TORRANCE.

Witnesses:

F. A. RHODES, GUY M. MILLER. 

